We’re lifting the lid on the subject of safety barriers, and vital factors that can’t be overlooked. Not least because incorrectly engineered or placed barriers can be more dangerous than not having any at all.

Strategically-placed barriers without a doubt go a long way to reducing the number of accidents around your building. They are vital in warehouses and logistics businesses, and on construction sites, or anywhere else that vehicles and people operate closely together.

This is an issue you can never be complacent about

The wrong kind of barriers – or incorrectly installed or outdated ones – can leave you badly exposed to serious incidents. Putting staff, visitors, vehicles and the fabric of your building at risk.

Failure to map out the best places for safety barriers can also cause business interruption, costly repairs, heavy fines and a serious (if not permanent) dent in your company’s reputation.

Safety barriers on private property

If this makes you doubt the reasons for installing safety barriers in and around your premises, then please be assured they do serve a vital purpose. In fact, if you own a commercial site where vehicles operate, you have a regulatory and ethical duty to install suitable safety measures. Including methods of segregating pedestrians and forklift trucks, for instance.

The focus needs to be on getting your specifications right, buying quality products and installing well-designed barriers correctly.

What to look for in reliable safety barriers

First and foremost, you need a supplier able to prove the integrity and impact-values of the safety barriers you buy. This is one time when the cheapest is not necessarily best. Something that looks the part, can prove to be entirely cosmetic and a risk mitigation failure.

There are even cases of companies buying highly visible lightweight products to alert drivers to danger, missing one of the most important purposes of these products. The best kind of barrier is a warning but also offers shock absorbency, minimising the damage caused by impact.

And you don’t need to pay high prices for outstanding safety barriers that that are both highly visible and durable. Brandsafe keeps prices highly competitive, while still offering safety products that are thoroughly tested and verified.

All of our safety barriers are tested to withstand the force of maximum capacity vehicles, travelling at maximum speed.

There’s a snapshot of some of the impact testing work we do on our website, as we put our reputation on the line with every safety product we endorse and sell.

Watch our impact testing video 

Also, if you are going to invest in robust traffic management solutions, your safety barriers and bollards need to be low maintenance, built to last and fixed down properly. (Unless you want a versatile demountable safety barrier than you can relocate as risk factors change.)

Finding the best safety barriers for your site

If you have a workplace where vehicles operate, the best safety solution has to be versatile enough to adapt to your layout. That includes safety barriers and guardrails that can be installed quickly, but which create an authentic obstacle.

For example, our Pedestrian Safety Barriers (SEG+) are engineered from an advanced polymer and strong steel boots. The range includes corner, end and mid posts, post centres, demountable options and Sprung Return Gates. So, instead of working around a prefabricated safety barrier, you simply create your own pedestrian segregation solution. One that keeps your traffic flowing uninterrupted, but with the assurance of sound risk management.

We also sell heavy duty Guardrail Systems (MHE / PIT), with de-stacker extensions. You can build up to around 3000mm high, making this a great way to separate vehicles and pedestrians in places where tall pallets or equipment create a restricted view.

These are just two examples of Brandsafe products that you can depend on.

Putting traffic control in safe hands

Location is fundamental to the value of having safety barriers installed. They also need to be an unmissable warning system and a genuine layer of protection between vehicles and people. Impact absorption capacity matters far more than appearance, though the best-made safety barriers look reassuring strong and effective.

If you are ready to pin down locations for safety barriers and your product requirements, give us a call.

Regularly reviewing warehouse site safety – and sourcing products that fulfil your ‘duty of care’ – serves multiple purposes. Including keeping you operational and avoiding heavy Health and Safety related fines.

The likely cost of breaching your duty to employees and site visitors – enshrined in Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – could run into tens of thousands of pounds. If not more. In some cases, it also leads to criminal charges and imprisonment.

In 2017, a UK high street retailer paid a hefty fine of £1m for having chaotic working conditions in its warehouse and storeroom operations. Clearly, safety measures are something that no firm should allow themselves to become complacent about.

How a lack of awareness or time can trip companies up when it comes to warehouse safety

Obviously, ‘intentionally breaching or flagrantly disregarding the law’ is the most serious accusation you could face under Health and Safety legislation. Though you’re also culpable if you show a lack of foresight or ‘willful blindness’ to risks. There are even hefty penalties for offences committed by ‘acts or omissions’ reducing the reasonable care you take of people on your premises.

To keep your warehouse operations on the right side of ethical and legal obligations, we offer a range of low cost, easy to install safety measures, including these five crucial (but often overlooked) products for warehouse safety.

So, which five warehouse safety measures should you be considering here?

1. Edge WRAP

Shielding sharp edges and protruding structures within your premises is basic common sense. The trick is to use a product that genuinely acts as both a warning and a damage limitation measure. Some companies buy cheap high-vis products which don’t actually physically protect pedestrians from injury.

The five shape options offered by our quality Edge Wrap can be matched to diverse sharp edges and low steelwork for example. It is high calibre Edge Wrap with excellent Light Duty foam impact absorbency. It is also inexpensive and quick to install, as it is self-adhesive.

2. HGV Landing Plates

Positioning HGVs correctly and quickly saves time but also avoids accidents. Fitting manoeuvring aids is another occasion when safety products must tick multiple boxes though. Inferior landing plates can lead to a whole new set of risks, including tripping up your workforce or visiting drivers.

Our high molecular grade polymer HGV landing plates are highly visible but also constructed with chamfered edges and countersunk anchors to fix them in place. Giving pedestrians and vehicles a smooth passage across them.

Having these HGV landing plates installed is a great way to reduce damage and wear and tear to your loading bay surface too. An added economic bonus.

3. Pedestrian Handrail Systems

As slips, trips and falls are a major contributor to workplace accidents, simple and inexpensive handrails make your warehouse a much safer place. Apart from giving pedestrians support as they walk up and down steps or along raised walkways, the correct handrails manage pedestrian traffic to avoid clashes in tight spaces or encroachment into high-risk areas.

Our Pedestrian Handrail Systems – which have Sprung Return Gates and Demountable Shoe Plate Options – are also a great way to guide people away from parts of your premises prone to accidental damage.

4. Speed Humps

Another easy win in the battle to protect employees and visitors is to fit traffic calming measures within warehouse operations. Our speed bump kits are ideal for this, helping to highlight where vehicles are likely to pass and providing drivers with a strong incentive to slow down.

These speed reduction products are quick to install on concrete or tarmac and feature diamond grade reflectors for improved visibility in poor light.

5. Drop Core Bollards

Another quick solution for safety improvements in warehouses is heavy-duty, multi-purpose demountable bollards. You can fix them down and then relocate them as your field of operations alters, or as new risks crop up.

Brandsafe’s come in five colour options to flag up fire hazards, caution areas and high-risk locations for example. As they are polymer covered, they require no repainting, and they are designed to be both an effective warning system and an impact management tool.

Mapping safety product needs

Bringing in expert help to evaluate your warehouse safety requirements can connect you to cost-effective and durable systems, that boost your safety record significantly. It also gives you one less headache, as your Health and Safety at Work compliance is more assured, making inspections a lot less stressful.

Give us a call to discuss updating your safety product profile.